GEORGES' CAREER
George Burley started his
football career at Ipswich Town in 1973 coming through the now predigest youth
academy at Portman Road. His debut
did not come much harder when he came up against Manchester United and a
certain George Best; he showed his talent and character in an outstanding
performance reportedly marking Best out of the game. Over the next 12 years with Town he was rarely out of the
team and helped the club through the most successful period in their
history. Over the rest of career
he played for Sunderland after leaving Ipswich, staying for a few years before
a short stint at Gillingham before he found his way back in Scotland where he
played for Motherwell, Ayr United where he started on his managerial career
being player-manager then moving onto Falkirk as just a player. George came south of the border again
to become player-coach at Colchester in 1994 but by the time the turkey had
been plucked that year he had taken over as manager of Ipswich Town, the place
where he first started his playing career.
IPSWICH YEARS
After taking the helm at Portman
Road, George transformed the team into a young exciting team who stuck to their
beliefs and played football, as they believed it should be, on the grass with
plenty of movement, attacking and passing. His success was almost instant, he brought through several
young players through from the academy and after some very close encounters
with the play-offs he finally led his team to the Premiership in 2000. Mr Burley followed this up with a
fantastic achievement of a 5th place finish in their first season back in the
top flight, only missing out on the top four on the very last day of the
season. He won Manager of the Year along the way for a feat that I cannot see
being repeated for a very long time.
After a struggle with the extra fixtures following the European
qualification his side was relegated and after a poor start to the Championship,
George and Ipswich parted ways in 2002.
DERBY COUNTY
George Burley stepped into the
Derby hot seat when John Gregory was suspended in 2003, and he immediately put
a halt to the clubs decline in fortunes, and steered them away from the bottom
of the table for a comfortable finish.
He took over permantley after John Gregory was officially sacked. Within two seasons George had
transformed Derby into contenders for a promotion place despite having a
shoestring budget, just falling short in the play-offs in 2005. Soon after Burley resigned, reportedly
due to strained relation with then director of football Murdo Mackay.
HEARTS
A short but successful stint at
Hearts followed in 2005, and the promise and style he brought showed what a
good side he could put together.
His Hearts side flew to the top of league winning 8 out of his first 10
games, shortly after however he left the club after major shareholder Vladimir
Romanov announced he would be taking full control of the club. This was a real shame as it was seen
that this Hearts team with George at the helm had all the potential to at least
split the big two in Scotland if not even go above them.
OTHER CLUBS
He had spells at Southampton,
Crystal Place, and Cypriot side Apollon Limassol with not much to shout about. Wedged between those clubs he became
Scotland national team manager although as many before him he struggled to
qualify for major tournaments in a rather limited talent pool.
INTERVIEW WITH STEVE
SEDGLEY
One player who has a
lot of admiration for George Burley is former Ipswich player Steve Sedgley, a
two time FA Cup winner with Coventry and Tottenham respectively and a man the
Ipswich staff thought so highly of they paid £1million to take him to Portman
Road in 1994. I was lucky enough
to speak to Steve and get his opinions on his old gaffer.
What was George like to work
with day to day?
I enjoyed my
time under George, he was approachable, knowledgeable and he would share a
laugh and joke with the players
Was he a good man manager?
Yes, he
joined Ipswich at a difficult time and we all suffered some damaging results,
which resulted in relegation. He had to deal with some strong characters
amongst our group but to his credit, turned it around and developed a side that
was able to challenge for promotion and played entertaining football.
Anything unusual about
training or was it just old-fashioned hard work to get ready for a game?
Nothing
different to what a pro footballer expects, hard work, organised and the
ability to let the players enjoy training and keep them focused which is never
easy! A lot of youngsters came through under him and went on to play at top
level.
How much
influence do you think George had on their development and careers?
Absolutely
lots! Good young players still need someone to give them their chance, he
believed in the youngsters but also protected them and most of all played them
in a team and formation they can gel in, that's not luck!
Do you think he made you a better player?
Yes, as I
said earlier the season he joined was difficult, a lot of players weren't happy
due to results, not playing etc me included but he changed that, and he was
brave to play a 3-5-2 system and played me in a sweeper role in which I played
some of my best football and most enjoyable football albeit outside of the
premiership.
I look
back at that time and the team we had with great memories.
A lot of near misses for that
Ipswich team with the play-offs, how did he get the players going every season
after the disappointment?
George
installed some terrific players, very talented who also were mentally tough so
he kept adding to this to keep the squads belief in themselves and eventually
George and the club got their rewards.
Do you think he could still do a job at the top level of football? Or championship?
Most
definitely, you don't lose your knowledge and hunger overnight it's the people
within the game that are influenced by others which results in jobs becoming
tougher to get, it's a cut throat industry!
Did you know him personally? Outside of football, what was he like?
Yes I do,
we don't bump into each other much but when we have we still have a laugh and
joke and it's always good to catch up
Do you look back at that time in your career fondly?
Apart from
my first season, which went horribly wrong on the pitch, I look back and count
myself lucky for my time at the club.
It's a well-run club, fantastic people with a great fan base
SUMMARY
With his
track record at transforming teams for the better, there is no doubt in my mind
and indeed a few football people minds that George Burley could still do a job
at the top end of football and good job too. Unfortunately his name has been out of the loop for a while
and with football if you're not in the headlines you can be forgotten. I hope that will not be the case with
George as he has proven his credentials and is always a manager keen to give
youth a chance and developing players, which in the British Isles is a quality
that should not be overlooked. I
am sure we will see Mr Burley given a chance soon in the game and when he is I
expect him to be as successful as he can with whichever club it may be.
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